About

This unique event revolving around the string quartet is a combination workshop, laboratory,
playground, and master class. Over the course of a week, the Quatuor
Bozzini and two experienced composers will observe the work of up-and-coming composers.
Their compositions will be read, played, assessed, analyzed, worked on, played again, and performed
in the closing concert.

This year, the "Quatuor Bozzini" presents the Composer’s Kitchen in its
expanded format in collaboration with Sound and
Music.

Guest composers

Participants

Composer’s Kitchen is a professional residency produced by Quatuor Bozzini since 2005 whose aim
is to train emerging composers in string quartet writing. This unique event is like an “incubator”
for original works, combining workshop, laboratory, playground, and masterclass. The new
compositions are read, played, assessed, analysed, worked on, played again and performed in a final
concert. The residency occurs over two phases: in the first phase, a week-long workshop occurs in
Montréal (Canada); six months later, all the artists reunite in the Composer’s Kitchen second phase
which takes place in partnership with an international organization (in the past: Huddersfield
Contemporary Music Festival, Gaudeamus Muziekweek, Sound and Music/Sound Scotland). Quatuor Bozzini
and the participants refresh and review in detail the pieces which have matured over the last
number of months. Throughout the process, the composers will be supported by — other than Quatuor
Bozzini — the presence of experienced mentors who are amongst the most important figures in new
music creation.

“Dare to do what you’ve never dared before!”

Each edition of the Composer’s Kitchen is a chance to rigorously work in a creative,
non-competitive and relaxed atmosphere. Participants are encouraged to experiment beyond the limits
of convention and to explore new and varied aesthetic styles in a way that their mastery in string
quartet writing is strengthened to its highest degree during this enriching experience.

Quatuor Bozzini loves cultivating these relationships with composers beyond the residency
period, resulting in a rich network of collaborations. In this way, Quatuor Bozzini always strives
to stay active in current trends and practices of emerging composers.

Weaving dew patterns with Quatuor Bozzini

I believe that this is a great opportunity for any composer who wants to
become the best chef in their musical kitchen.

As a composer, I am exploring weaving patterns in order to transform them into musical language.
The use of non-musical data does not guarantee the successful transformation and mostly requires
deeper studies and research so that the chosen weaving pattern can be matched with sounding
material. For me the Composers’ Kitchen was a great laboratory in which to
nurture my initial idea, slowly transforming it into the final composition through the various
stages of this project; but let me start from the beginning.

It all started in Montréal, Canada with a meeting of the performers, Quatuor
Bozzini, mentors Christopher Fox (UK) and Christopher Butterfield (Canada), and fellow composers Georgia
Rodgers (UK), James O’Callaghan (Canada) and Kyle
Brenders (Canada). An intense two-week period involved rehearsals every day, revisions of
pieces, listening sessions, discussions, and individual meetings with the mentors. It was a great
opportunity to crystallize ideas in order to achieve the result that each of was looking for.

For me it was a long journey, because the first sketches I made did not resemble either the
primary idea nor the weave; they were too reliant on narration and illustration. But in Montréal I
was able to write this piece in “real time”, every day producing new sketches, which were then
rehearsed in various tempos, trying out different techniques, working on dynamics and details,
discussing the sounds that resulted from each sketch. Each rehearsal was recorded so that at the
end of the day it was possible to listen again and to create something ‘new’.

I felt that it was a luxury to work on one particular composition and to have so many
possibilities to try things, working out what could best suit my idea. After three different
versions and intense conversations with musicians and mentors, I finally found the right tools and
solution. I must admit that this period of searching was challenging, but the support from the
members of Quatuor Bozzini and mentors made me realise that with the best
team on your side it is possible to discover your true artistic individuality and perfect your
vision.

After each rehearsal of our own pieces, we could listen and gain experience from colleagues’
compositions, and how their ideas are developed, what kind of sound or timbre they are looking for.
At the end of this first stage each of us had created individual compositions, all very different
stylistically and aesthetically, and these were all performed in a concert in a loft space in
Montréal.

For the second stage we moved to Banchory, a small town in Scotland. This was probably a more
relaxed experience for me. I had had a five-month break from the piece, an ideal time to leave it
for a while, and after a discussion with Christopher Fox I was able to
make final revisions and complete the composition with fresh ears. This time, I knew in advance
what my piece was all about. Megh Malhar is based on the organza weave, a
weave whose structure is invisible because of its thin silk threads. It is striking for its sheer
surface and transparency, a feature which I felt united it with the harmony of the Indian raga.
During the second stage, I experimented with the final form of the music, refining the specific
character of the piece. It was a special time for me, cooking each day, meeting after rehearsals
and concert for dinner in one of the cottages where we stayed, walking in the forest, visiting
Aberdeen, sight-seeing, having informal conversations, being part of this family.

For me the Composers’ Kitchen was a great opportunity to concentrate on
one particular piece. I think that without this possibility, and especially such a close connection
with the professional performers of Quatuor Bozzini, mentors and
composers, I could not have created the piece which emerged as the final result. I believe that
this is a great opportunity for any composer who wants to become the best chef in their musical
kitchen.

Creating a new work with Quatuor Bozzini

Our Artistic Associate Kyle Brenders recently spent a week in Montreal, participating in
Quatuor Bozzini's Composer's Kitchen. He wrote a blog post for us about his experience, and how he
composes.

Beyond what I do here at Soundstreams, I attempt to have a life as a practicing composer (and
performer, but that’s a story for another blog post). I am constantly searching to find a balance
between my own artistic practice, and that which I’m working to put on stage at Soundstreams. Some
might say that my work as a creative musician is my second job, because I do it after I get home
from Soundstreams. But I sometimes feel that Soundstreams is my second job, there to support my
habit as a musician! All kidding aside, I recently participated in an emerging composer workshop—a
departure from being the workshop designer, which is part of what I do at Soundstreams.

I created a new work for string quartet as part of the Quatuor Bozzini's Composer's Kitchen. The
Composer's Kitchen is an annual musical “laboratory” conceived as an artistic "playground,” where
composers workshop their new composition with direct support from the Quartet, as well as two
composer mentors. The Composer’s Kitchen happens in three stages:

1) A workshop in Montreal and performance of the new work;

2) A few months of private revisions;

3) Another workshop in London, UK, and concert of the final works.

The workshop had four participants that were selected through an application process: two
composers from Canada and two from the United Kingdom, supported by the amazing UK organization
Sound and Music (you can read about the other participants here). The two mentor composers were
Christopher Butterfield from Victoria, BC, and Christopher Fox from London, UK.

This workshop reminded me of how intense the process of creating a new work really is. In my own
compositional practice, I know I’ll be performing much of the music that I write. Because of this,
I tend to leave a lot of musical information out of the score. Dynamics, articulation, bar-lines,
time signatures, instructions for improvisation, and sometimes even the duration of notes, are
aspects of the score that I leave out, and figure out either in real-time during the performance,
or through the rehearsal process.

I wasn’t going to be performing this new work, so I needed to create something clear and
precise. However, I don’t believe in creating a score, handing it over, and expecting the piece to
be performed directly as it appears on the page. I love openness, which requires the performers to
make their own decisions. I love facilitating surprises for the performers as they play the music,
and also for me as the composer of the work. This can create complications when working with
musicians used to scores that have the composer’s instructions clearly written on the page. I knew
this would a challenge going into this workshop, but I also knew that the members of Quatuor
Bozzini would be game for anything.

I had a breakthrough on my piece when another workshop composer mentioned that she views the
compositional process as “creating an article of clothing”—composers have to put the pieces of
thread together for the performers. I am slightly different in my work—I provide the performers
with the buttons and thread, but they have to create the shirt. The materials I provide the
performers with create specific musical events, but how each event progresses through time will be
determined in each performance. This idea is also where my piece got its name: sewn.

You can see a section of the score below and listen to how it’s all put together. There is a
main set of materials that begin the section, and then each player is free to move through their
own musical materials. Each player receives only their subsections, separate from the other four
players.

My music has a quirkiness that I encourage. I recently played with Bobby McFerrin at Roy Thomson
Hall, and one thing he stressed was that everyone needs a level of quirkiness in their everyday,
and suggested 10%. I think I’m there with this piece. The Quartet really explored the material with
curiosity and wit. But remember, this is only one performance, and one way through the material.
Each time the Quartet performed my piece, they created a new version. My music isn’t about
capturing a final, flawless performance, but capturing the moment the musicians are presently
in.

Another amazing aspect of this workshop was collaborating with the other participants. They each
created incredible pieces that inspired me to work harder (you can hear one of them here). Seeing
another composer’s music being work-shopped is one of the joys of this process. I love watching how
people put music together, hearing them describe what they’re doing, and seeing how the performers
respond. It’s this joy of creation that made me first want to make music, and continues to drive me
every day. Luckily, this workshop has a second stage, where we all come together again. I’ll write
again in February after the third stage of the workshop, which will include a performance of the
work in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Embedded: Composers Kitchen 2015

By Georgia Rodgers

In June I took part in the Quatuor Bozzini’s Composers Kitchen workshop
in Montreal. What a wonderful experience, and what luxury to have so much time with QB. I can’t
thank them all enough for their help, patience and encouragement.

It was great to get to know each of the four composers (Egidija
Medeksaite, Kyle Brenders, James
O’Callaghan and myself) and two mentors (Christopher Fox and
Christopher Butterfield) who provided invaluable advice. It was a
privilege and an illuminating experience to be in the room while each of the (entirely different)
new pieces took shape.

I wrote a new work called Three pieces for string quartet which, as the name suggests, comes in
three movements each of which focuses on a different aspect of the instruments’ sound: noise/pitch,
resonance, friction. There’s a recording below.

Thank you so much to Sound and Music for enabling me to take part in this project.